I don't know if this has already been discussed, but I came upon this while perusing their website:

Geo Caching Policy
Geocaching Policy: The Superior Hiking Trail Association does not have the authority to grant permission for geocaching or similar placement of items on the trail. Anyone wishing to place such items must have the advance, written permission of the landowner involved and follow any guidelines or requirements established by the landowner. In addition, any geocache must be registered with, and follow the guidelines established by, www.geocaching.com. On any parcel of land actually owned by SHTA, any geocache must follow the requirements set by the Minnesota DNR for geocaching in State Parks._________________Effective parks and recreation facilities do not just happen on their own. They require professional care and financial support to keep them clean, safe and suitable for the community they serve.

So.. any cache along the Superior Hiking Trail should be registered with the DNR. Hmmmm ... that's too bad... seems a smidge controlling...
There sure are some fantastic caches along the trail. Then again, none of them are "on" the trail....

I think they're saying that they want it to follow the same requirements as the DNR, but not registered with the DNR.

The funny thing about the policy is that they start off by acknowledging that they don't have any authority over the land that the trail is on (because they don't, they likely just have an easement for a foot path), but then they proceed to outline the requirements for cache placement.

For example, if the trail traverses county land and the county doesn't require a written policy, then one isn't required. IMHO, the SHT doesn't have the authority to implement a more restrictive policy just because you're accessing the land via their trail.

The policies of the land owner apply, not the SHT. My opinion anyway._________________Hmm...

I agree 100% with Pear Head. It comes down to following geocaching.com's guidelines. The SHT doesn't have jurisdiction over what is not theirs.

While I agree, following geocaching.com is not a perfect correlation of what the "policy would be" if it were legit. For instance, there is a minimum size requirement, isn't there? I think it has to be pint or quart sized or bigger, but it can't be too big.

I was about to send off the following a suggested policy revision to the SHTA, with a friendly note as to why, but then thought this might be better coming from the MGCA board, since I am just a lone voice in the wilderness (or in the shrubbery, or, on rare occassion, the back corner of a Target parking lot).

Is the Board interested in taking this up?

Geocaching Policy: The Superior Hiking Trail Association does not have the authority to grant permission for geocaching or similar placement of items on the trail. Anyone wishing to place such items must follow any guidelines or requirements established by the landowner. In addition, any geocache must be registered with, and follow the guidelines established by, www.geocaching.com. On any parcel of land actually owned by SHTA, any geocache must follow the requirements set by the Minnesota DNR for geocaching in State Parks.